(Business in Cameroon) - On January 19, 2018, André Mama Fouda, Cameroon’s ministry of public health signed a ministerial ruling to restructure the emergency services system SAMU.

According to the ruling, SAMU will provide proper emergency care to sicks, wounded and victims of accidents, depending on their specific case. This system will also collaborate with the other emergency actors in case of emergencies which require both rescues and medical care.

To respond expeditiously to urgent requests for medical help, there will be a single number for dispatch centers. “The service fees of SAMU-Cameroun and the terms of payment are determined by specific texts", the ruling explained.

Let’s remind that SAMU had been created on January 15, 2004. For emergencies, patients had to call a toll-free number (119). However, after the services, patients had to pay CFA10,000 in urban zones, this apart from the healthcare costs. Such costs were not what people thought of emergency services which they thought was free. As a consequence, emergency calls have decreased and SAMU has been in hibernation since then.